Rise To The Challenge
by GregUnplugged
Summary: Chloé gets a once in a lifetime opportunity to become Ladybug for a day. Can she rise to the challenge, and will she be able to live up to her hero's standard?
1. Eclipser (Chat's POV)

**Chapter 1 - Eclipser (from Chat Noir's POV)**

It had been a rough battle so far tonight. Ladybug and I crouched down behind the chimney on the roof of the Ministère des Affaires Étrangères et Européennes, while Hawk Moth's latest akumatized villain, calling himself Eclipser, was approaching us. Eclipser had been given the frightening ability to send out bolts of energy that would paralyze anyone from the neck down. Dozens of men, women and children had already fallen victim to him, and now he was closing in on us. Just avoiding his attacks had been tricky so far.

All we knew so far was that his name was Bryson Alnitak, a professor of astronomy at Sorbonne University who had recently been disgraced and humiliated by four of his colleagues because of a paper he had recently published. They pointed out obvious errors in his theories, and basically turned him into a laughingstock within the field. That humiliation led to anger and akumatization. He paralyzed two of the other professors before going on his rampage.

I turned to Ladybug. "Where do you think the akuma is, milady?"

"I don't know, but I'm hoping this will help...Lucky Charm!" She tossed her yo-yo in the air, and a belt fell into her hands. "Okay, that seems easy enough… it must be in his belt buckle! It's the only prominent thing on him anyway."

Then I coyly said, "Let's immobilize this NUMB-skull, milady!" As usual she didn't appreciate my lame attempt at humor, because she rolled her eyes and started twirling her yo-yo. "Enough with the jokes, Kitty. Let's do this!"

I found a small piece of loose brick next to the chimney. "I'll make a distraction," I told her. I flung it over the top of the chimney, trying to make it land behind Eclipser and hoping it was small enough that he wouldn't notice it flying over his head. We could hear him coming closer. As soon as we heard the piece of brick hit the roof, we both jumped out to confront the villain.

The sound of it did cause Eclipser to look behind him for a second, giving me time to swing my staff and knock him over with a swift hit to the legs. Ladybug flung her yo-yo toward him, scoring a direct hit on the belt buckle.

To our surprise, nothing happened. There was only a clang as the yo-yo bounced off of him. But we were so sure that's where it was! The lucky charm has never failed her, and it seemed so obvious. Where else could it be?

I guess that her miscalculation threw off her balance. As she started to pull the yo-yo back, Eclipser managed to grab the string and jerk her toward him. I watched in horror as he pointed the palm of his hand at her, and a bolt of light flew out from it and struck her. Her body froze, she fell forward, and rolled toward the edge of the roof.

"Ladybug!" I cried out, and chased after her. Before he had a chance to do anything else, I extended my staff quickly at Eclipser. It struck him in the chest, and pushed him swiftly off the roof in the opposite direction. I ran toward her as fast I could, but I wasn't able to reach her in time to stop her from falling, so I watched helplessly as she disappeared from view. I frantically jumped off the roof, using the staff to help me land safely.

To my relief, Ladybug had fallen into some thick bushes instead of hitting the ground. I lifted her out and held her. She was definitely still paralyzed, but didn't seem to have any broken bones, and only had scratches on her face. She was still conscious and able to breath normally. I really need to get her to a hospital, but there was no way to do that without finding out her true identity. Then she looked up at me.

"Chat…" she stammered, "You have to get me… to Master Fu."

I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I should have been able to protect her. Now she was yet another of Eclipser's many victims.

"Keep it together kitty…" she said weakly. "He's in... an apartment on... the other side of the Seine. He can… take care... of me. I'll… help... guide you. Just make sure… Eclipser doesn't follow us… Hawk Moth cannot find out… where he lives."

"On it, my love." Moving quickly, I undid my own tail/belt and extended it with the belt she had received from the Lucky Charm. Holding her limp body up against me, I wrapped the belts tightly around both of our waists and fastened them . "I've got you," I assured her. I held onto her tightly, and could see that the spots on her earrings were starting to deactivate.

I had driven Eclipser back at least a hundred meters on the other side of the building, and most likely he had been knocked unconscious from the blow. I checked around with my night vision to make sure no one else was nearby, then dug my staff into the ground behind us and extended it to propel us forward. When I got to the river bank, I extended it fully to send us across the Seine and onto the opposite bank.

Ladybug slowly tilted her head away from me. "It's… about half a kilometer… that way. Hurry…"

She gave me the address of Master Fu's apartment building, and said it was on the top floor. I kept us moving as fast as I could while holding onto her, and managed to make it to the building in record time. I undid the belt from our waists, picked her up in my arms and ran up the stairs.

"We made it, Ladybug." No response. I looked down and saw that she had fallen unconscious, although she was still breathing. Please be ok my love, I thought as I kissed her on the forehead. I felt myself tearing up again as I slammed my foot against the door in frustration and called out Master Fu's name.


	2. Meeting the Master (Chat's POV)

**Chapter 2 - Meeting the Master (from Chat's POV)**

Master Fu opened the door and signaled me to come in. "Chat Noir, what has happened to Ladybug?"

"I- I failed her, Master," I said sadly. "I couldn't protect her from Eclipser. She was paralyzed and fell three stories into a bush. I don't know if there's any internal damage, but she was conscious most of the way here." I set her down gently onto the rug.

"Wayzz already told me he sensed that something bad had happened to her," he told me. So Wayzz must be his kwami, I thought as I watched him fly around Master Fu. "But Chat Noir, you mustn't blame yourself for this. Sometimes unfortunate things just happen. I will look after her while you and Ladybug take care of Eclipser."

I stared at him, totally confused. "But, how can she help if she's paralyzed and unconscious?"

Master Fu walked me through the door into the outer hall and closed the door. "The Ladybug you know cannot help, so someone else will need to become her for the time being, and work alongside you. Ladybug is the only one who can capture and purify the akuma, and restore the damage it caused."

Of course- that makes sense, I just wasn't thinking straight. I felt the blood drain from my face, and my palms became clammy. "So you're saying I'll need to choose someone to do this? I don't know if I can…"

"Of course you can do this, Adrien. Just choose someone whom you know you can trust. Use your instinct to guide you. I will go retrieve the earrings and bring them to you."

Master Fu opened the door and walked back inside. I backed away so I wouldn't be able to see in. I know how much milady wants to protect her true identity, and didn't want to accidentally catch a glimpse when she changed back. This is all so insane. Am I qualified to make the right decision? I asked myself. Everything depends on this.

I was thinking about asking Master Fu if it's necessary for Ladybug to be female. The one person I've been closest to is Nino. Or maybe Alya would be suited for this. I wasn't sure who else would be…

Suddenly, Chloé came to mind. Sure, she's had an attitude problem for quite a while, but over the past few months she's really been trying to improve herself. She's the one person I know of who already has superhero experience, and her admiration for Ladybug should be extra motivation for her to carry out her responsibilities. Besides, I still don't know the true identities of Rena Rouge or Carapace, and it's too late to find out now.

Master Fu came back out and handed me a jewelry box. "Follow your heart Adrien. I have faith that you will make the right choice. After the akuma has been defeated, you will need to retrieve the earrings and bring them back to me. Just so you know, Ladybug's kwami's name is Tikki."

"Yes, Master Fu, I won't let you or Ladybug down." I left the apartment building, and although I still wasn't 100 percent sure it was the right decision, I started heading toward Le Grand Paris hotel.


	3. Rising to the Challenge (Chloé's POV)

**Chapter 3 - Rising to the Challenge (from Chloé's POV)**

I'd been staring out the window for the past thirty minutes or so, thinking about this crazy situation going on in Paris. These akumatizations have really been picking up lately. Now there's somebody out there who does basically the same thing I do as Queen Bee, only he can do it as many times as he wants!

I'd already turned on my bee symbol searchlight and aimed it into the evening sky, hoping to get a visit from Ladybug. Why can't she just leave Pollen with me, so I could spring into action at a moment's notice and help her out during times like this? I guess I understand that they need to be careful with these miraculouses, but it's so frustrating… I'm really getting better at this, and surely she can see that?

Besides, I feel like I'm actually somebody important when I'm Queen Bee. Yeah, being the mayor's daughter has a lot of perks, which I love, but when I'm thrown out into the world I'm so insecure. I've built these walls around me to keep myself safe and pretend I'm better than everyone else. I'm starting to see that and I'm trying to do better, but it's really hard for me to change. Becoming a superhero makes me a better person, and makes me want to be more like Ladybug.

Then, as if on cue, Chat Noir showed up on my balcony holding a miraculous case! I really wish Ladybug would have come and handed it to me herself, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I stood up, walked to the doors and flung them open.

"Hello Chat Noir," I said in as sweet a voice as I could. "So you two need my help again?"

When I looked into his eyes, I could see that something was wrong. His usual catty personality wasn't there. He had a totally serious look on his face, and seemed really concerned. I took a step back. "Are you okay?" I asked.

He took a deep breath before starting. "Chloé, I do need your help. I gave this some thought before coming, but I believe you're the right person. You've done great as Queen Bee. You've also admired Ladybug for so long, and I know how much you like to cosplay her. How would you like the chance to become Ladybug for a day?"

My jaw dropped, and it seemed like time stood still for a minute. I must have heard him wrong. "Chat, what are you talking about?"

"Ladybug is in trouble," he told me. "She's been incapacitated by Eclipser. I'm asking you to become her, and work with me to defeat the akuma. Once the mission is complete, you'll give me the earrings back."

I stared at him with a blank expression, unable to think straight.

He continued. "This is a situation we haven't had to deal with before, so there is no clear solution here. Besides being able to move quickly, you're going to have to be able to think on your feet and make quick decisions to defeat Eclipser. If you're uncomfortable with any of this, just let me know and I'll find someone else. But I think you can do this."

OMG, this was really a dream come true! To actually be Ladybug! Then my heart sank as I realized how serious this was. "Yes, yes, of course I'll do this," I told him. "But Chat Noir, tell me, will she be ok?"

"Thank you Chloé. And yes, she's with someone who can take care of her, and she'll be fine once the akuma has been captured and you restore everything back to how it was before. If you're ready, let's get started."

He handed me the box, and I nervously opened it. There they were! Ladybug's earrings. And as expected, a kwami appeared in front of me immediately afterward.

"Hello, I'm Tikki. I will be your kwami."

I looked her over carefully. She was red, with a black dot on the forehead. Something about this seemed strangely familiar.

"I'm Chloé. Have we met before, Tikki?" I asked.

"No, of course not," Tikki assured me. "But it's a pleasure to meet you. Why don't you put the earrings on, then we can go defeat the villain? All you need to do is say 'Spots on'."

I felt extremely proud at that moment, so I decided to shake off my feeling of déjà vu and embrace the excitement of this moment. "Yes, let's do it now. But I want to do it in my bedroom, so I can see myself transform!" I went inside, stood in front of my full-length mirror, and put on the earrings. Then I eagerly said, "Tikki! Spots on! Ha!" I'm not sure why I added that interjection at the end, but it seemed to come naturally.

Tikki was absorbed into the earrings, there was a flash of red, and I began to transform. I watched myself actually become Ladybug, not a cheap imitation of her like when I was playing dress-up with Sabrina! There were even streamers on both sides of my hair just like she has. I felt so proud at that moment, and briefly thought about taking a selfie, but that thought went away as I felt the burden of responsibility that came with the costume.

Chat Noir looked over at me with his mouth hanging open. "Wow, I'm amazed," he said. "If it weren't for the hair color and style difference, I would say you look just like her. The guardian of the miraculous told me that the costume adapts to the personality of the owner, but it's pretty obvious that you wanted to make yourself look exactly like she does!" He smiled at me. "So, are you ready to do this, Ladybug?"

I had to smile back hearing him call me by that name. I picked up the yo-yo and began spinning it. "Let's go take care of business."


	4. Here Comes Queen Bug (Chat's POV)

**Chapter 4 - Here Comes Queen Bug (from Chat's POV)**

"Chloé-bug" and I ran together side by side. Although it felt really strange to see someone else as my partner, I felt very much at ease with my old friend next to me. She's come a long way since the day I first started at school. I'm so happy to see that she's starting to learn how to be unselfish and put others before herself. Maybe she still has a long way to go with that, but at least she's been showing some progress.

According to news reports, Eclipser was now at the top of the Arc de Triomphe, holding two hostages. Reportedly, they were two of the professors who had debunked his theories, the two he hadn't already paralyzed. I told her, "Hawk Moth is trying to put us at a disadvantage, since we'll have to concentrate on protecting the hostages. We'll need to be on our guard because Eclipser is going to try and use them to distract us. We have to stay focused."

"Right," she said as she turned her head toward me. "I just hope I'll have the moves for the job."

"You'll be fine, Chloé. Ladybug's yo-yo works pretty much the same as Queen Bee's top, at least as far as getting around or using it as a weapon. Just remember, when we get stuck you can always use the yo-yo to summon your lucky charm, which gives you an object and clues about how to defeat Eclipser. The original lucky charm gave us a belt as a clue, so keep that in mind. But the most important thing for us to do is figure out where the akuma is. After that you'll need to release the akuma, capture it inside the yo-yo and purify it, then toss the lucky charm object into the air to release the magical ladybugs and restore the damage caused by the akuma."

She rolled her eyes at me and laughed. "Oh please Chat, I already know everything there is to know about Ladybug. I just mean I hope I can be as awesome as she is. But thanks for the reminder." She gave me a wink and we kept running.

Then she turned to me with a serious expression and asked, "What exactly happened to Ladybug, anyway?" I proceeded to explain how she had been paralyzed and fallen off of a building into some thick bushes. Chloé's expression turned to grave concern. Judging by how she's acted around her before, she probably thinks of Ladybug in the same way she would a family member… or for all I know, she may hold her in even higher regard.

When we reached the Champs-Elysees, we saw that a small crowd was gathered in front of the Arc, as well as the news media. Chloé stared at the scene in disbelief. "What are these people doing? They're going to become victims themselves!"

She wasn't wrong. But before I could respond, Eclipser's voice came blasting toward us. He must have been using a megaphone.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir! I have two hostages up here with me, pathetic university professors who have nothing better to do than destroy another professor's life! Surrender your miraculous to me now, or they will both die!"

Wow, this seems pretty extreme, even for Hawk Moth, I thought. Or maybe Eclipser came up with this threat himself, and Hawk Moth is just letting him use it as blackmail. "We need to stop him now!" I said, and we both ran toward the monument.


	5. The Battle (Chloé's POV)

**Chapter 5 - The Battle (from Chloé's POV)**

As we ran toward the arch, I kept thinking to myself, can I really be as good as the real Ladybug? She's been my personal hero for a long time, and the last thing I want to do is disappoint her. But I have to stay focused and stop doubting myself… everything depends on us defeating this akuma. Maybe even Ladybug's life.

When we reached the base of the arch, Chat Noir pulled out his phone and brought up a photo. "Here's what Eclipser's costume looks like. Maybe it'll help you figure out where the akuma is hidden. We already know it isn't in the belt."

I studied the photo for a while. He was wearing a shiny metallic black helmet, with no distinctive markings on it. His shirt was pretty much a star chart… black with dots on it. I could even recognize some of the constellations on it. Below that, his belt buckle was designed to look like a solar eclipse, and his pants and shoes were solid gray. I still wasn't sure what to make of it, and I handed him his phone back.

Suddenly, Eclipser announced, "I'm still waiting up here! Bring me your miraculous now!"

I was incredibly nervous, but I didn't have time to stand around and fret. I closed my eyes and started telling myself to think like a hero… be the hero that Paris needs. A preliminary plan started to form in my head, and I decided to take charge of the situation.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," I told Chat. "First I'll use my lucky charm and see what it tells me. Then I'll go on top ot the arch and stall to give myself time to figure out where the akuma is. I'll keep my communicator turned on, and when I'm ready for you to help, I'll signal you. Let him know that I'm coming up."

Chat had a concerned look on his face. "Are you sure, Chloé- er, Ladybug? It'll be more dangerous if you're up there by yourself. You'll be a sitting duck."

"Don't worry, Chat, I know what I'm doing." Oh God, I wasn't sure if I really believed that, but I needed to trust my instincts. I was scared, but I needed to stay calm.

Chat put his hands over his mouth, tilted his head back, and yelled out, "You win, Eclipser. We don't want anyone to get hurt. We're coming up to give you our miraculous." While he did that, I threw the yo-yo above me and cried out, "Lucky Charm!" Something very strange dropped into my hands, and I studied it with a puzzled look.

I recognized it as an old-fashioned toy that Daddy passed down to me years ago. It was made of two wooden cones joined at their points. You were supposed to move a string back and forth in the center to spin it and do tricks with it. But what could this possibly have to do with anything? I looked around, and didn't see anything that gave me any additional clues.

Well, the time has come for me to act. I'll have to stay calm and keep my mind open for possibilities.

Before going up, I whispered some instructions to Chat. Then I grabbed a couple pebbles from the street, flung my yo-yo onto the top of the arch, and jumped up so that I was facing Eclipser. He was standing on the opposite side, and the two hostages were tied up in the center.

"I'm here, Eclipser," I told him. "Chat Noir is on his way up now. We'll give you our miraculous as soon as you release the two hostages safely."

He retorted, "No negotiation until both of you are up here!"

I expected him to say that, so I didn't let it phase me. I calmly answered, "Well, as a sign of good faith, I'll give you mine now."

I reached up to my right ear lobe, while at the same time studying the scene before me. I felt that the lucky charm was drawing me toward his shirt. Think Chloé, what do I do now?

I thought about the shape of the toy, and what that would have to do with a belt. My eyes went over his shirt, looking at each constellation. Suddenly, it was like a lightbulb went off in my head… on the left side of his shirt, near his neck, there was a constellation that seemed to be bulging out slightly, as if there were something underneath. The constellation was Orion, which was sort of shaped like the toy I had received... and I realized that the three stars in the middle were called the BELT! How was I even able to remember that? Evidently science class is good for something after all!

I took my right earring off, so he could see that I was starting to detransform. Quickly, I pretended to take the left one off, then threw the pebbles toward him, being careful to hold onto the earring. He was caught completely off guard, and frantically reached out to grab for the flying "earrings."

"Chat Noir, NOW!" I shouted as I put the right earring back in. Chat had already activated his cataclysm before I went up, and at my signal, he used it on the right side of the arch. It began disintegrating, and Eclipser started to lose his balance. I flung my yo-yo at him, aiming it toward Orion. It shattered, and the purple butterfly came fluttering out. A few seconds later, Chat Noir reported that he had caught the akumatized professor and that he was safe.

The top of the arch was becoming unstable, so I flung the yo-yo out toward the two men. It wrapped around them, and I dragged them over to where I was on the left side of the arch. Not wanting to give the akuma a chance to get away, I quickly tossed the yo-yo and grabbed it. When I retrieved it and opened the top, a white butterfly emerged. I put my hand on my forehead, and relief swept over me. I had actually done it!

Before forgetting, I threw the toy into the air and called out, "Miraculous Ladybug!" Within seconds, the arch had rebuilt itself. I prayed that all of the victims had been released from their paralysis, including the real Ladybug.

After a few seconds, Chat joined me on top of the arch. After we untied the two men, Chat put his hand on my shoulder and said, "That was spectacular. You really have the makings of a superhero."

I was so touched by his words, and rather than saying "Of course I do!" like I would have before, I suddenly felt very humble and appreciative of the opportunity I was given.

Chat and I each held onto one of the men as we got them off of the arch. Then we left and found a safe spot for me to detransform. It was sort of sad to think that I wouldn't get to be Ladybug again, but frankly this was the adventure of a lifetime. I said "spots off", and after I did Tikki appeared again. Immediately, that same feeling of familiarity came over me. What was it?

"Well done, Chloé!" she told me. "You made a fantastic Ladybug. I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you Tikki. I enjoyed working with you." Then I asked, "Can I please have a hug from you? You're so cute." I snuggled up against her for a minute, and then I took the earrings off, causing her to be absorbed back into them. I handed the earrings to Chat, and he put them back into the case.

"I must be going now Chloé, as I'm about to transform back myself. Will you be able to get a ride back home?"

"Oh of course, I'll just call Daddy and have him send Jean Lunacy over here to pick me up." Then I said, "Chat… before you go, I just wanted to tell you how thankful I am that you chose me for this assignment."

"You're welcome Chloé. I'm glad that I did too. You work very well under pressure." With that, he used his staff to propel himself away.

As I started to call home, a wave of realization hit me like a freight train, and my eyes grew wide. I thought to myself, it can't be true… can it? But it must be! I dropped to my knees and grabbed the sides of my head, mentally beating myself up. This was the last thing I would ever have expected to happen, and I knew I had some crow to eat tomorrow morning.


	6. Recovery (Marinette's POV)

**Chapter 6- Recovery (from Marinette's POV)**

My head cleared, and I found myself lying on the floor of Master Fu's home. I hurt all over, including having a massive headache. But I was able to sit up and move.

"Welcome back Marinette," Master Fu said, handing me a cup of tea. "It's so wonderful to see you awake once again."

"Thank you Master," I told him. "But the way I feel now, I think I'd rather be asleep."

He said, "Your body suffered a traumatic shock. Even though the miraculous ladybugs repaired the damage, your body will continue to experience the aftereffects. You will have some discomfort for a while, but I'm certain you will be fine. Do you want to try walking?"

I reached for his hand and let him help me up off the floor. My legs were still stiff, but I was able to walk across the room slowly but surely.

Then I had a bit of a panic attack as I realized that my earrings were missing! "Master, what happened with the akuma? Since I'm not paralyzed I assume it must have been captured, but how?"

"Don't worry Marinette, Chat Noir dealt with it. He recruited someone else to be Ladybug for this mission, but he will be bringing your earrings back shortly."

Someone else? But who? Who would he have thought of giving them to? Master Fu must have seen me squirming and mumbling under my breath.

"Everything will be fine, Marinette. Please, get some more rest until you feel you are ready to go home. Chat Noir can fill you in on the details later."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, causing me to jump and gasp. "Master Fu?" It was Chat's voice!

"Coming, Chat Noir. Please step away from the door so I can meet you in the entrance way." He went through the door and closed it behind him. After a few seconds, Chat called out to me. "Thrilled to have you back, bugaboo!"

I responded, "Thank you kitty, good to be back. See you soon."

A few moments later, Master Fu returned with the miraculous box and handed it to me. "I was told the person he chose did a marvelous job of helping to defeat Eclipser. You can ask him about it when you next see him."

Then another thought came to me. "Master Fu… did I detransform before we arrived? Does Chat know who I am?"

"No Marinette," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "You didn't detransform until I took off the earrings, and Chat Noir waited outside while I did that. He was careful to avoid finding out your true identity."

That was a relief, I thought, and I gave a little smile. My kitty is always such a gentleman.


	7. Return to Normal (sort of) (Mari's POV)

**Chapter 7 - Return to Normal (more or less) (from Marinette's POV)**

I rested a little longer at Master Fu's, then decided it was time to go home. My face felt sore, so I looked in a mirror and saw that there were at least a dozen small scratches covering me. Master Fu told me he had already applied salve to my face to prevent infection, but I thought I should put some more on before leaving.

Then I opened the miraculous case, and was thrilled to see my Tikki again. I gave her a hug, then put the earrings back on and transformed into Ladybug so that I could make it back faster. After thanking Master Fu, I was on my way.

I landed on my balcony and went through the skylight. Before passing out on my bed, I went downstairs to make sure my parents knew I was safe. They were understandably worried by my absence. I explained the scratches on my face by saying I had tripped and fallen into a bush- which was mostly true.

The next morning, I slowly woke up and glanced over at the clock, then started to panic! Realizing I'd overslept, I quickly jumped out of bed, grabbed my clothes and got dressed. I slapped some makeup on to try and cover the scratches, ran downstairs, grabbed a croissant, and hurried off to school.

As I approached the school, I slowed my pace down to a brisk walk. When I reached the steps of the school, I was shocked to find Chloé standing there by herself. She must have been late too, but why is she out here?

"Good morning, Chloé," I said, being as civil as I could and expecting something insulting in return. I really didn't feel like dealing with her usual sass today.

But instead, she did the last thing I would have expected… she walked toward me with tears in her eyes, and threw her arms around me. Even though my instincts told me that this must be some sort of trap, it seemed like she was genuinely crying. I didn't know what to do with my hands, so I held them up in front of me.

"What's wrong Chloé?" I asked in as calm a voice as I could. She must be going through something really catastrophic… especially if she's crying on MY shoulder!

She was almost incoherent at first, choking on her words as she tried to speak. "Dupain-Cheng… sorry, I mean, Marinette… I- I've been ridiculous, utterly ridiculous around you. I've treated you so badly for so long, and I'm so very sorry… I hope you can forgive me."

I was completely flummoxed. Where is this coming from? She sounded sincere, and I managed to put my hands onto her shoulders.

"Of course I forgive you, Chloé. Now, can you please tell me what's going on?"

"See there? You're always so positive and caring, Dupain-Cheng… why didn't I want to see that before, or care about it?" Her crying picked up again, so I instinctively gave her a hug to comfort her, then managed to get her to sit down beside me on the steps. She finally composed herself enough to start telling her story.

"Yesterday, Chat Noir came to me, and asked me to become Ladybug."

Wow! So he picked HER?! I guess it made sense under the circumstances, especially since Chloé has been acting more responsible lately. But apparently, she's still not responsible enough to keep her identity a secret. "Oh really? That's amazing, Chloé!"

"Yes, and it was the most thrilling and humbling experience of my life," she continued. "For a few minutes, I got to be the hero everyone looks up to. I got to be the hero I've grown to love and admire. I... I got to be..."

She choked up, then leaned over to whisper in my ear.

"...I got to be... YOU."

Even though I was no longer under the control of Eclipser, I froze for a second and couldn't move. I leaned away from her, and my heart rate felt like it doubled.

"What did you say?" I gasped. How could she know? I was sure Tikki wouldn't have said anything! I noticed that Chloé was now staring at the ground, and seemed to be afraid to look me in the eye as she spoke.

"Do you remember when Prince Ali came to Paris last year?" she began, "If you recall, I found a small red doll lying next to the curb when my limo came to pick me up from school. I snatched it up to give to him as a gift, and when we started driving away you called out to me, telling me that it was yours… but I chose to ignore you. Well, yesterday I got to meet Tikki, Ladybug's kwami… and it didn't occur to me until after we defeated the akuma that she was the exact same doll I found on the pavement. It didn't move the day I picked it up, but it felt warm and soft… the same way Tikki felt when I gave her a goodbye kiss. She was obviously pretending to be an inanimate object. Frankly I'm surprised I didn't make the connection after seeing Pollen, since they all seem to be the same size."

Oh my God, I remembered that happening, and I couldn't come up with any excuses. Even if I tried, whatever I said would sound lame. All I could do was accept it, and own up to the truth. I closed my eyes and composed myself for a few seconds. Then I turned toward her, looked into her eyes and gently pleaded with her. "Chloé, please don't tell anyone my secret."

She wiped the tears from her eyes, and looked at me with a puzzled expression. "Are you kidding? You're my hero, and I wouldn't think of doing anything to hurt you. No one will ever know, not even Sabrina." She checked out my face with some concern. "I heard about your fight with Eclipser, and I see you still have some battle scars. Let me help patch you up. Trust me, I know a thing or two about beauty." She took her compact from her purse and gently dabbed the powder onto my face. It felt so refreshing to see her wanting to help me out.

After finishing my makeover, her expression changed and she dropped her head into her hands.

"I've done a lot of thinking since yesterday, and I realized that making Ladybug's everyday life miserable is just part of the damage I've caused. Marinette, I know I've got an attitude problem, and I lash out at others when I don't feel like I'm in control. I make others feel small so that I can feel more important. But that's something I can and will change about myself. I've also been so jealous of how everyone loves you, and I think that made me target you even more. But… it's so amazing to me that in spite of how I treated you like dirt, and how badly I screwed up my opportunity the first time around, you were still able to find it in your heart to give Pollen back to me." She started choking up again. "Seriously, you've given me something to be proud of in my life, and I don't think I can ever thank you enough for that."

Her unexpected expression of gratitude actually made me tear up a little bit. I managed to put my arm around her shoulder.

"It's okay, Chloé," I said. "I have to admit, I've been pretty mad at you, and there were even a few times I came close to hating you. Adrien's the one who helped remind me that there's good in everyone, including you. I was impressed when I saw you apologize to Miss Bustier after she was akumatized, and I'm really glad I decided to give you back the bee miraculous on your balcony. You've shown that you're capable of caring about others, and even though I don't know all the details yet, I know you must have shown a lot of courage yesterday. Anyway, I'm really glad we're not enemies anymore."

"Me too," she said, and leaned her head on my shoulder. "I know it doesn't sound like much, but here's something I'll promise you for starters. I know how much you like Adrikins, and I know he likes you too, so I'll stop dragging him away from you so much." She chuckled a little as she saw me blush. "You know," she continued, "I was just thinking about how ironic it was that he called you our 'everyday Ladybug' at the picnic on Heroes' Day! It's kind of funny if you think about it." I had to laugh with her about that. I was definitely enjoying this nicer side of Chloé.

Suddenly, Tikki poked her head out of my handbag. "Hi again, Chloé! I wasn't going to say anything, but you're a smart girl and it doesn't surprise me that you figured it out. And sorry Marinette for not telling you earlier that she's the one who got your miraculous, there wasn't time this morning. But Marinette you should be proud of her, she really lived up to her responsibilities!"

Chloé's face lit up as she looked down and saw Tikki smiling at her. Chloé reached down and stroked her on the head. "Hey girl, I'm so happy to see you again!" It felt super weird watching another person besides Master Fu interact with my kwami, but in a way it felt good to have someone else to share my secret with-even if it IS the girl who's been my worst rival.

After that, we stood up and went inside. As we walked down the hall Chloé stayed in step with me, and kept looking over at me and smiling. It was actually pretty creepy, and her sudden shift in attitude toward me is definitely going to arouse suspicions. I stopped her when we reached the classroom door.

"Chloé, first of all, thank you so much for taking care of the akuma yesterday. Paris and I owe you a lot for that. But the rest of the world still thinks you hate me, so we'll have to be careful for a while. And let's face it, the fact that you know who I am isn't going to magically take away any differences we still have. But it's cool that we now share a common bond, and I hope we can develop a friendship over time."

She hugged me again. "I'm sure we can," she said. "As for the rest of the world, they'll just have to learn to deal with the new me. But for now, I'll go in first and tell Miss Bustier I saw you coming through the front door. Just wait a few seconds before you go in."

After Chloé went in, I looked down at Tikki. "Tikki, how could this happen? I'm scared! Do you think things are going to be okay?"

"I understand your concern Marinette, but I actually think everything will be fine. I felt some panic when I first saw who was getting the earrings, but she really did prove herself out there. She idolizes Ladybug, and by extension she now idolizes you. I think this experience will help shape her into a much better person. Just go with it."

I nodded at Tikki and closed my purse. I waited for about twenty seconds, took a deep breath, then opened the classroom door and walked in. Alya, Adrien and Nino gave me a wave. Chloé glanced over at me with an indifferent stare, then turned her head back toward the front. But as I sat down, she casually turned her head back toward the door and looked at me out of the corner of her eye with a little smile. That must have freaked out Alya because she asked me what that was all about. I just shrugged my shoulders and brushed it off.

I watched Chloé during class, and I could see her laughing and talking to Sabrina in a way that I hadn't before. They actually seemed more like friends now. And maybe even more surprising, not ONCE did Chloé brag about being Ladybug! I'm thrilled to know that this experience is helping her change. And I do believe her when she says she'll keep my secret. I can't see us ever hanging out together... but who knows... I suppose stranger things have happened.

 _Thanks for reading! You can also check out my ongoing sequel "Rise To The Challenge 2: Chloé's New Life"._


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